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1500 BCE
Moses
Divinely received the Ten Commandments which calls for the law to apply equally to all people, even kings, and sets forth rules for a fair trial. -
600 BCE
Old Testament
Special kind of agreement between people and God, influenced the formation of colonial governments and contributed to our constitutional structure. -
100
New Testament
The second part of the Christian Bible, written originally in Greek and recording the life and teachings of Jesus and his earliest followers -
1215
Magna Carta
A guarantee of limited government. It protected people from unjust punishment by the government and from the levying of taxes without popular consent. -
The Mayflower Compact
The Pilgrims governed themselves by a written contract between themselves. This would be a huge influence on our government and Constitution. -
The Constitution of Connecticut
The Constitution of Connecticut had a huge influence on the Founders of America. Considered by many to be the state's first constitution. -
The English Bill of Rights
Was the first bill of rights, put clear limits on monarchy. The American Bill of Rights was influenced by this. -
House of Lords
members of the upper chamber were the first sons of noble families, and inherited their position. The US Senate is the upper chamber in the American Congress. -
House of Commons
Members of the lower chamber were elected and were often the younger sons of noble families or wealthy commoners. The US House of Representatives is the lower chamber in the American Congress. -
The Enlightenment
Rational laws developed by John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Voltaire to describe social behavior and applied their finding in support of human rights and liberal economic theories. -
The French and Indian War Begins
A struggle between French and British over lands in what is now western Pennsylvania and Ohio led to the start of the war. -
The French and Indian War Ends
Great Britain won the war in 1763 with British troops led by George Washington. -
The Stamp Act
Imposed the first direct tax on the colonists required them to pay a tax of legal documents, pamphlets, and even playing cards. King George III and his ministers levied taxes on tea, sugar, glass, paper, and other products. -
English Common Law
Common law is based on custom, usages, and general principles found in court decisions that serve as precedents to be applied to situations not covered by statutory law. -
The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists, dressed as Mohawk Indians dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. In retaliation, the Boston Parliament passed the Coercive Acts or Intolerable Acts and closed Boston Harbor. -
The First Continental Congress
On September 5, 1774, delegates from every colony except Georgia met in Philadelphia for the Congress. Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee & George Washington imposed an embargo to prohibit trade with England and agreed to boycott British goods. -
The Second Continental Congress
All thirteen colonies assumed powers of a central government. -
First Battle of the Revolutionary War
The British Redcoats clashed with colonial minutemen at Lexington and Concord. This skirmish was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. -
The Thirteen English Colonies
Each of the thirteen colonies had its own government consisting of a governor, legislative body, and a court system. British believed that all colonists owed allegiance to the monarch. Women and the enslaved, could not vote. -
The Declaration of Independence
No government before in world history had been founded on the principles of human liberty and consent of the governed.
Congress approved the final draft of the declaration. -
The Articles of Confederation
Didn’t go into ineffective immediately because it had to be approved by all thirteen states. By March 1781, all thirteen states had ratified, or approved the Articles. -
The Constitution of the United States
The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States.
